Korean supergroup BTS broke their own record last week for most YouTube views within the first 24 hours of release of their English-language single “Butter”, hitting 113 million views on Saturday (May 22).
They had previously set the record with their first English-language release “Dynamite” in 2020, which racked up 101.1 million views in its first 24 hours.
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The hotly anticipated summer tune of 2021 also set a new record for the biggest YouTube music video premiere with more than 3.9 million concurrent viewers.
It debuted at No. 1 on iTunes’ Top Songs chart in 101 regions, including the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany, according to Big Hit Music, which manages BTS.
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“’Butter’ is very simple,” said Jungkook, one of the seven members, during a news conference last Friday. “The weather is getting warmer and it will be good enough if many people can enjoy this summer with BTS.”
“From the title, you can guess that we picked a song for easy listening,” Jimin said. “You can consider it as a cute love song.”
The septet performed “Butter” live for the first time on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards, where it was up for four awards.
On the same day that it was released, United States President Joe Biden held an in-person meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-In.
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After discussing weighty political and economic matters, Mr Biden remarked that “K-pop fans are universal”, prompting chuckles among the politicians and press in the room. “I can tell those who laugh know what I’m talking about.
Earlier in the day, another head of state, French President Emmanuel Macron, may have inadvertently given the song a boost online.
Mr Macron had posted on Twitter, asking the French youth what they would spend 300 euros (S$486) on if they were provided a stipend for culture and the arts, including books, music, movies and concerts.
He retweeted just three replies, one of which was from a BTS fan: “A BTS concert. Thank you and stream #BTS_Butter, Mr President”.
This article was first published in The Straits Times
